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Session Five - Tuesday, February 14th 10:00am PST
N
EEDLE
S
HARP
G
OLD
S
TATER OF
P
HILIP
II, L
IFETIME
I
SSUE
Enlargement
1578 Macedonian Kingdom. Philip II. Gold Stater (8.53 g), 359-336 BC
. Pella, lifetime issue, ca. 345/2-340/36 BC. Laureate head of Apollo
right.
Reverse:
, charioteer driving biga right, holding kentron and reins; below, grape bunch. Le Rider 24 (D11/R15); SNG ANS 124-6.
Needle sharp and struck in high relief.
Superb Extremely Fine
.
Estimate Value ....................................................................................................................................................................... $5,000 - 6,000
From the Herbert & Aphrodite Rubin Collection; Purchased from an uncertain NFA auction in the 1970s-1980s, lot 106.
The reverse type of Philip' s gold staters was discussed by Plutarch (
Alex.
4.9) in one of the rare instances of a surviving ancient textual source
regarding coinage. He notes that the chariot depicted here was specifically chosen by Philip to commemorate the victory of his chariot in the
Olympic Games of 348 BC. The intended purpose was to promote the Macedonians as Greeks, which indeed they were but were nevertheless
seen by their more affluent and culturally refined southern neighbors as backwards bumpkins. The point was further underlined by the obverse,
which depicts the Greek god par excellence, Apollo.
Enlargement
1579 Macedonian Kingdom. Philip II. Gold Stater (8.50 g), 359-336 BC
. Pella, ca. 323/2-ca. 315 BC. Laureate head of Apollo right; behind
head, A.
Reverse:
in exergue, charioteer driving biga right, holding kentron and reins; below, horizontal thunderbolt. Cf. Le Rider 608/
612 (D237' /R444; die combination not recorded); SNG ANS 199 (same obv. die). Well centered and well struck.
Choice Very Fine
.
Estimate Value ....................................................................................................................................................................... $2,500 - 3,000
From the Hanbery Collection.
Enlargement
1580 Macedonian Kingdom. Philip II. Silver Tetradrachm (13.80 g), 359-336 BC
. Amphipolis, lifetime issue, ca. 355-349/8 BC. Laureate head
of Zeus right.
Reverse:
[
]-
, king on horseback left, extending hand in salute; below horse' s raised foreleg, M. Le Rider 43 (D23' /R37);
SNG ANS 467.
Very Rare.
Exceptionally fine style. Boldly struck and lovely antique cabinet toning.
Extremely Fine
.
Estimate Value ........................................................................................................................................................................... $2,500 - UP
The Hanbery Collection; Purchased privately from F. Kovacs in 1985.